One Abdus Salam Majumdar filed the case against Boishakhi director MNH Bulu and his chief accountant Anwar Kabir with Gulshan Police Station on Tuesday at 8:20pm. Five minutes before this, Bulu's divorced wife filed a case for torturing her for a dowry of Tk 2 crore.

Bulu's advisor and lawyers however alleged that the minister masterminded the cases in the wake of filing of the criminal case against him.

The minister denied the allegation.

On Tuesday, Bulu filed the criminal case against Mirza Abbas and the TV channel's MD Kazi Mohammad Shahidullah accusing them of threatening him with death unless he handed over his share for free.

A resident of the city's Gulshan area, Bulun filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka.

Following the cases filed by Majumdar and Bulu's divorced wife Hosne Ara Naznin, Gulshan police arrested Bulu and Anwar from their residences at 1:30am and produced them before court praying for 10-day remand in Majumdar's case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Syed Mujibul Haque granted placed them on remand for today.

MAJUMDAR CASE
Majumdar, identifying himself as a freedom fighter, stated in his first information report (FIR) that on September 18 last year, he had made an agreement with Bulu taking Tk 1.5 crore to sell an 18-katha plot to him for Tk 2.52 crore.

Bulu was supposed to pay the rest in four months and get the land registered but he failed to do any of those. Rather, Bulu gave him three cheques on May 22, which were dishonoured, the FIR said.

As Majumdar informed Bulu about his cheques being dishonoured, Bulu asked him to come to his Gulshan house on May 29 with the cheques to collect the money.

Majumdar said when he went there at 10:pm, Bulu, his chief accountant Anwar Kabir and two others confined him in a room. Bulu attempted to strangle him and forced him to give in writing that he does not get any money from him (Bulu).

HOSNEARA CASE
Hosne Ara, in her FIR filed under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, said she got married to Bulu in 1983 and gave birth to two daughters and a son. Later, Bulu began to run after money and took to illegal trade.

He divorced her in 1995, married one Shanjida Kashem and forced her into prostitution. She was compelled to leave him for torture on her, the FIR said.

Using his influence, Bulu remarried Hosne Ara by giving her Tk 2 crore in cash and Hosne Ara gave birth to another daughter. With the money, she claimed to have bought Dhaka Bank and Jamuna Bank shares.

Later, he demanded the shares as dowry and on refusal tortured Hone Ara. He also violated many girls, she alleged, one of whom filed a general diary against him.

Bulu also tortured her for several days in December last year. As she threatened to disclose those, Bulu ousted her from his house, the FIR said.

He also implicated filed false cases against her and her family.

ALLEGATION AGAINST MINISTER
Advisor to Bulu Shahadat Sikdar alleged that Mirza Abbas masterminded the cases filed against him. "As Bulu filed a criminal case against the minister, the cases against him were filed on instigation from the minister," he told reporters on the court premises, terming the cases false and motivated.

Bulu's lawyers also echoed him.

MINISTER'S VERSION
Denying the allegations against him, Mirza Abbas yesterday evening told The Daily Star that the cases were mere coincidence with the one filed against him.

"I don't know the persons involved in the cases, rather, I was stunned to know that Bulu filed a case against me," he said.

"I have no relation with the persons who filed cases against Bulu, a cheat and blackmailer," he added.

BOISHAKHI VERSION
Boishakhi MD Shahid Ullah, in a press statement yesterday, said Bulu is not a director of the TV channel. He was taken as a promoter in December last year.

"His money was returned in due time after learning about his immoral activities," the statement said.

Neither Mirza Abbas nor anyone of the channel threatened him, it added.